I leave for Europe in 9 days but I have desperately needed to write something because I'm bubbling with all sorts of feelings and I've tried three ideas and they've all failed epically and this finally turned into something decent so here you go.

A laugh rang around the table, Castle included as he threw another chip into the pot.

Patterson, Lehane, and Connelly were all badgering him about something, he's not entirely sure what because he stopped taking their teasing to heart when they mentioned him snagging his muse and they were just bitter because they didn't figure it out until over a year had already passed. They claim they would have known if they would have seen him since they'd gotten together, but they've been so busy and then they make jibs about how he must have been so busy and he couldn't even stop the smirk that flit across his face at the thought.

He heard the door open and immediately looked towards the sound. Alexis was still in Costa Rica, his mother was up in the Hamptons, and Kate was working a case, told him with a smirk before she left that she'd stay at her place tonight to give him and his fellows writers some space but he should call her afterwards if he needed an ego boosting.

Patterson, Lehane, and Connelly were still laughing about something, and Castle picked up his glass, moving through the doorway to his living room where he could see the door.

Her back was turned towards her, her shape unforgettable and she seemed frustrated. He heard her swear under her breath, smiled slightly at the sound before he finally spoke.

"Kate?"

She froze for only a moment before she kept moving, shoving her keys back into her pocket quickly, the unmistakable sound of her zipping up her boots before she stood up.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, not looking at him, "I'm leaving. I'll go now."

"Kate –" he said, taking a step closer, "you can stay."

"No," she said, shaking her head quickly, buttoning her jacket back up, "I'll go. I forgot – I'll go."

"Kate –"

She spun on her heel, opening the door just a crack before moving through the open space before shutting it between them.

Immediately, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing her number and holding it up to his ear. It rang two times before she picked up.

"Castle –"

"I need you," he said, "Please come back."

She sighed on the other end of the line.

"Cas –"

"Please," he interrupted, "Come back."

The call disconnected and he heard a faint knock at the door. He opened it immediately, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips, realizing that she had never moved away from the door, before he really looked at her, a wave of concern crashing over him.

His gut twisted at the sight of her red rimmed eyes.

"Kate," he said, "his voice impossibly soft, "What happened?"

She bit her lip, looking down at her shoes before she shrugged.

"Just… A rough case. I needed –"

She cut herself off, shaking her head at herself.

He reached out, putting his glass down on the table and pulling her into the loft and into his arms. She melted into him immediately, her arms wrapping around his middle as she exhaled unsteadily into his chest.

She needed someone and she forgot that he had people over and came to him.

He couldn't stop the small smile that crossed his lips.

She needed him.

Without words, he led her over to the kitchen, sitting her down in one of the stools behind the bar and pulling a bottle of red from off the counter. He poured her a glass of wine, handing it to her with a flourish that made her smile slightly. He ran his fingers over the tense muscles in the back of her neck, gestured for her to hold on for a moment as he moved across the living room into his bedroom.

He bypassed the bed, immediately moving into his bathroom. He turned on the lights, rolling up his sleeves and moving towards the bathtub. He plugged the drain, turned the water on high and let the tub fill up. He paused for a moment, thought about throwing some bath salt in the water and decided against it, instead reaching into the cabinet below his sink to grab some of the scented candles that he knew she loved, setting them on the counter and lighting them with the old matches from the drawer that only she ever used. He checked the water, turned down the temperature a little before he turned off the lights, leaving the room to go and get her.

She hadn't moved, the glass of wine still mostly full in front of her, her forehead resting in one of her palms. She looked up at him slowly when he tugged on her hand, pulling her up off the stool with one hand, picking up her glass of wine in the other as he led her back to the bathroom. He closed the door behind them, setting her glass on the marble countertop and turning towards her. He took a step closer to her, kneeling down. He lifted one of her legs towards him, reaching up under her work slacks and sliding down the zipper of her boots, slipping them off of her feet, pulling off her socks with them before he did the same to the other, letting his fingers press against her tight calf muscles. She sighed at the feeling, letting him know just how drained she was.

He stood up slowly, his fingers quickly undoing the buttons of her blazer and sliding it off her shoulders before they undid the buttons of her blouse. He let his fingers trail over the taught skin of her abdomen; bit back a smile at the way is made her head fall back as he pulled the sleeves off of her arms. He slid his hands over her back, unclasping her bra and sliding it over her shoulders. He tugged on her slacks, popping open the button and unzipping them, tugging her underwear down over her hips as he let them fall off of her legs and onto the floor. He held out his hand to her, kept her steady as she stepped out of her clothes and then he led her over to the tub. He stopped the water as it neared the rim of the bathtub, testing the water with his free hand before he gestured for her to get in. He watched as she stepped into the tub, her hand still holding his, his eyes wandering over her bare skin for a moment because he just couldn't help himself.

So beautiful.

He smiled at her as she sank into the tub, squeezing her fingers before he made a move to grab her glass of wine but she didn't let his fingers go.

"Thank you," she whispered.

When he tugged his hand away from hers again, she let him go. He grabbed her glass of wine, leaned over the tub to hand it to her before he knelt down, brushing a tender kiss against her lips. He pulled away after only a moment, his hand moving by its own volition to brush a strand of hair off of her cheek. He let his fingers linger, gliding along her cheekbones until she closed her eyes.

"Anytime," he whispered. He stood up, her eyes opening slightly at the loss of contact.

He gathered up her clothes, opened up the door quietly, watching for a moment as she sank a little deeper into the tub, a content sigh passing through her lips. He smiled, closing the door softly behind him.

He folded her clothes, put them on top of his dresser before he moved back into his office where the writers were all sitting, still laughing about something.

"Well, welcome back, Ricky," Patterson chuckled.

"Yeah," Lehane chimed, "We were starting to think you'd left."

Castle shook his head, smiling as he sat down.

"Gentleman," he answered, picking up the deck of cards, "I believe this might have to be our last round. All or nothing."

There was a sound of mild protest from around the table, and Castle shrugged, unapologetic.

"What was at the door, Castle?" Connelly said picking up his glass, "Your girlfriend?"

Castle couldn't stop the quirk of his lips, and they all groaned in jest.

"Ricky," Patterson said, taking a swig of his glass, "I swear, one day you're going to cancel a game night just to sit on the couch with her. You're getting domestic."

Lehane looked over at him, a teasing smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"She's got you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?"

His thoughts raced back to the number of times he did things just to see her smile, the phone calls and the text messages and the notes he'd hid in the drawers of her desk and around her apartment. He counted the number of coffees he'd made in the past 5 years, the number of late nights spent at the precinct to make sure she went home, the number of times he stopped outside of a florist or jeweler but never went in because he knew she wouldn't accept a gift from him; his thoughts finally settling on the ring that was sitting in his fire safe with the promise of "not yet, but yes."

How stupidly, hopelessly, unconditionally in love he was with his partner – his muse – Kate.

"Yeah," he said, letting the smile twist at the corner of his lips, "she really does."

He straightened the deck, started dealing out the cards as he let the truth tumble past his lips.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"If you wanna call me, call me, call me
You don't have to worry 'bout it baby
You can wake me up in the dead of the night
Wreck my plans, baby that's alright.
This is a drop everything kinda thing
Swing on by, I'll pour you a drink
The door's unlocked, I'll leave on the lights
Baby you can crash my party anytime"
Crash My Party, by Luke Bryan

(that song is so stupidly adorable)